Spiritual disclosure between older adolescents and their mothers.

This study examines the role of spiritual disclosure within older adolescent-mother relationships. Spiritual disclosure is defined as mutual disclosure of personal religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. Three hundred 18- to 20-year-old college students and 130 of their mothers reported on spiritual disclosure in their relationships. According to both parties, greater spiritual disclosure was related to higher relationship satisfaction, greater use of collaborative conflict resolution strategies, less dysfunctional communication patterns, less verbal aggression, and increased general disclosure in mother-adolescent relationships beyond global religiousness and demographics. Spiritual disclosure also predicted unique variance in collaborative conflict resolution strategies beyond these factors and general disclosure. The findings underscore the value of attending to the interpersonal dimension of religion/spirituality. More specifically, the results suggest that spiritual disclosure is an indicator of relationship quality, one that is tied to better relationship functioning, and one that merits further attention in studies of family dynamics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of private self-consciousness and perspective taking on satisfaction in close relationships.

131 heterosexual student couples, aged 17–32 yrs, 30 of whom were married or engaged answered questions concerning themselves and their relationships. It was predicted that individual differences in private self-consciousness would be positively related to relationship satisfaction because of the greater self-disclosure resulting from that heightened self-attention. It was further predicted that individual differences in perspective taking would foster relationship satisfaction, independent of any influence of self-disclosure. Both expectations were confirmed. Scores on the private self-consciousness scale were predictive of reported self-disclosure, and self-disclosure was predictive of satisfaction in the relationship. Once the influence of self-disclosure was removed, no effect of self-consciousness on satisfaction remained. In contrast, after disclosure was controlled, perspective-taking scores were significantly related to satisfaction and were in fact unrelated to disclosure at all. Findings indicate that 2 personality characteristics having to do with habitual attention to behavioral tendencies, emotions, and motivations significantly enhance the quality of close heterosexual relationships in different ways. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More than a mirror: The ethics of therapist self-disclosure.

Perspectives on the ethical implications of self-disclosure differ widely. Many authors warn that self-disclosure by a therapist can be exploitative. Some authors also highlight beneficent reasons for disclosing in therapy. The ethicality of a particular self-disclosure is likely to depend on the content of the disclosure, the therapist's rationale for the disclosure, the personality traits of the client to whom the disclosure is made, and the specific circumstances surrounding the disclosure. Research suggests that clients experience both positive and negative consequences as a result of their therapists' self-disclosures. Because of the ambiguity and complexity of this ethical issue, therapists must take into account numerous ethical principles when using interventions that involve self-disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-disclosure: A literature review.

Reviews the literature concerning the role of verbal disclosure of information about oneself as a personality attribute, in interpersonal relationships and in therapist-client relationships. The relationship between self-disclosure and nonverbal communication is considered. (3 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury affect millions of Americans, many of whom report using religion and spirituality to cope. Little research, however, has investigated how various elements of the religious and spiritual belief systems affect rehabilitation outcomes. The present study sought to assess the use of specifically defined elements of religion and spirituality as psychosocial resources in a sample of traumatically brain injured adults. Participants: The sample included 88 adults with brain injury from 1 to 20 years post injury and their knowledgeable significant others (SOs). The majority of the participants with brain injury were male (76%), African American (75%) and Christian (76%). Measures: Participants subjectively reported on their religious/spiritual beliefs and psychosocial resources as well as their current physical and psychological status. Significant others reported objective rehabilitation outcomes. Analyses: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine the proportion of variance in outcomes accounted for by demographic, injury related, psychosocial and religious/spiritual variables. Results: The results indicate that religious well-being (a sense of connection to a higher power) was a unique predictor for life satisfaction, distress and functional ability whereas public religious practice and existential well-being were not. Conclusions: The findings of this project indicate that specific facets of religious and spiritual belief systems do play direct and unique roles in predicting rehabilitation outcomes whereas religious activity does not. Notably, a self-reported individual connection to a higher power was an extremely robust predictor of both subjective and objective outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Addressing religious and spiritual issues in trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy for children and adolescents.

Psychologists have become increasingly concerned with the role of religion and spirituality in resolving childhood physical and sexual abuse, particularly religion-related abuse. In treating victims of child abuse, trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy has emerged as a leading treatment for recovery. In this article, we discuss the relevance of religious and spiritual issues in trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy for children and teens. Using three case studies, we then present a model for assessing and treating religion and spirituality in trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy. This model focuses on the client’s pre-existing religious and spiritual functioning as well as changes in religion/spirituality after abuse. We suggest that this approach will assist clients from various religious and spiritual affiliations to process childhood abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relevance of a psychoanalytic perspective in exploring religious and spiritual identity in psychotherapy.

The attempt to make meaning of the soul is inherent to psychoanalytic inquiry, despite its historical diminution of religion and spirituality. Feminist ideology and multicultural psychology have played a critical role in challenging traditional psychoanalytic conceptions of the practice of religion and spirituality as pathological and/or regressive. Contemporary psychoanalysis that emphasizes two-person psychology, and the intersubjective aspects of the analytic space has also allowed for more open inquiry into the spiritual lives of clients and therapists. Both psychoanalysis and spirituality share the goal of a search for particular aspects of one's identity. This search for one's real or true self becomes particularly poignant for both the therapist and the client, as it is highly reliant on the therapist's and the client's specific religious and spiritual contexts. This paper examines the development of identity as influenced by religious and spiritual beliefs. The author discusses a clinical case to illustrate the complex interaction between religious traditions and individual experiences of religion and spirituality, and related implications of a contemporary psychoanalytic approach to psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sanctification of sexuality: Implications for newlyweds' marital and sexual quality.

Research on the intersection of sexuality, religion, and spirituality has primarily examined whether global levels of religiousness (e.g., service attendance) deter premarital and extramarital sexual activity. Virtually no empirical work has addressed whether specific spiritual beliefs about sexuality enhance marital sexuality. Using a community sample of 83 individuals married between 4 and 18 months, we found that greater perceptions of sexuality as sanctified predicted greater marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, sexual intimacy, and spiritual intimacy beyond global religiousness and demographics. The findings open a new line of research on religion and family life, and extend theories on the possible benefits of the sanctification of intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy in Marriage: A Daily-Diary and Multilevel Modeling Approach.

This study used daily reports of interactions in marriage to examine predictions from the conceptualization of intimacy as the outcome of an interpersonal process. Both partners of 96 married couples completed daily diaries assessing self-disclosure, partner disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness, and intimacy on each of 42 consecutive days. Multivariate multilevel modeling revealed that self-disclosure and partner disclosure both significantly and uniquely contributed to the contemporaneous prediction of intimacy. Perceived partner responsiveness partially mediated the effects of self-disclosure and partner disclosure on intimacy. Global marital satisfaction, relationship intimacy, and demand-withdraw communication were related to daily levels of intimacy. Implications for the importance of perceived partner responsiveness in the intimacy process for married partners are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spirituality and religion in group counseling: A literature review with practice guidelines.

There has been increased discussion of the need to attend to clients' spirituality and religion as a part of the counseling process, but much of the literature to date has focused on individual counseling. How do the research and resulting practice implications apply to group counseling? This article provides a rationale for attending to spirituality and religion in counseling, explores the opportunities and barriers in attending to spirituality and religion in group counseling, and reviews the literature on the growing number of group interventions with a spiritual or religious focus. The article ends with specific guidelines for when and how to incorporate spirituality and religion into group counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religion and spirituality.

We define religion and spirituality and discuss five scenarios in which they will probably emerge in psychotherapy. We review empirical research on religion and spirituality as they pertain to psychotherapy outcomes and relationships. Most research has been unsophisticated relative to the general status of psychotherapy research. Nonetheless, therapists are urged to assess for religion. and spirituality and, if possible, intervene in religiously and spiritually sensitive ways. Nine empirical studies of religiously accommodative Christian (n = 6) and Muslim (n = 3) psychotherapy have provided limited support for its efficacy, especially with depressed clients. Highly religious clients appear to desire therapy that respects (if not integrates) their religion, but research is unclear about the degree to which they can benefit from secular therapies, especially when they request religious therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sacred adolescence: Practical suggestions for psychologists working with adolescents' religious and spiritual identity.

This article explores the relevance of adolescents' spiritual, religious, atheist, and agnostic identity development in the therapy process and the potential difficulties that psychologists face in effectively working with adolescents around spiritual/religious issues. Psychologists' limited personal and professional opportunities for increasing their self-awareness around their spirituality and religion may impact their ability to adequately address issues related to the spiritual/religious identity development of their adolescent clients. Psychologists' limited knowledge, awareness, and skills in reference to the process of adolescents' spiritual/religious/nonreligious identity may result in their neglect of spiritual/religious issues in psychotherapy. In such cases, adolescent clients may feel unsure if therapy is a safe place to discuss spiritual, religious, atheist, agnostic questions or issues that arise for them. The article concludes with practical suggestions that are framed around six critical concerns that are relevant for adolescents: (a) the relationship between spirituality/religion and health and coping, (b) negotiating multiple social identities, (c) religious cults, (d) religious conversion experiences, (e) anti-religious sentiment or religious discrimination, and (f) ethical considerations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generativity and authoritarianism: Implications for personality, political involvement, and parenting.

Generativity (Erikson, 1950) and authoritarianism have recently received increased attention in the personality and social psychology literature. The authors articulate connections and distinctions to test hypotheses concerning personality, politics, and parenting on a sample of adults and their adolescent children. The Big 5 Openness to Experience factor was positively related to generativity and negatively related to authoritarianism. In addition, high scorers on generativity were interested in political issues, whereas those scoring high on authoritarianism were not. High scorers on authoritarianism also used a punitive parenting style that had adverse consequences for parent–child relationships, whereas generative parents used an authoritative style that produced positive outcomes. Although generative and authoritarian individuals may share a focus on passing down traditions, the content of those traditions seems to span a wider range for people who are high in generativity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy in perceptions of interpersonal interactions: Effects of dysphoria, friendship, and similarity.

Addressed conflicting views of depressives' interpersonal accuracy in an investigation of the accuracy of mild depressives (dysphorics) across differing social contexts. Women who were either friends or strangers and who were either similar or dissimilar in level of dysphoria conversed about 3 topics: a neutral topic, their own disclosure of a personal problem, and their partner's disclosure. Dysphorics were not more accurate in general than nondysphorics. After self-disclosure, all women more accurately detected sympathy from a similar stranger. After the partner's disclosure, women also better detected the mood of a similar partner. When interacting with nondysphoric strangers, however, dysphorics underestimated their partner's sympathy toward them. Implications for cognitive and interpersonal theories of depression and for depressives' relationships are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology, spirituality, and end-of-life care: An ethical integration?

With an increased focus on multidisciplinary care, psychologists are being called to work within palliative care teams. Spirituality is often a salient issue for palliative individuals, and has significant implications with respect to psychological functioning. This paper discusses the incorporation of spirituality/religion into psychological end of life care, with a focus on the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of health, and the consideration of spirituality/religion as an aspect of cultural diversity. Discussion also surrounds the ethical integration of spirituality/religion into psychological assessment and treatment, as well as recommendations for clinical training. An overall theme of this article is that attending to the spiritual needs of palliative individuals is important to fulfill one's ethical responsibilities as a psychologist. Thus, seeking ways to ethically integrate these concepts into psychology training and practice remains an essential endeavour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of interviewer self-disclosure and interviewer-subject sex pairing on perceived and actual subject behavior.

The content (positive or negative) of interviewer self-disclosure regarding their own procrastination and study behavior as undergraduates was manipulated with all additional parameters of self-disclosure controlled. 16 male and 16 female college students discussed their tendency to procrastinate with either male or female interviewers who positively or negatively self-disclosed. Results indicate that (a) after the interview, Ss in the positive disclosure condition expected to study significantly more hours and did study significantly more hours than Ss in the negative disclosure condition; (b) Ss in the positive disclosure condition perceived that they procrastinated significantly more after the interview than before, while the opposite was true for Ss in the negative disclosure condition; and (c) negatively disclosing interviewers were perceived as significantly higher on unconditionality of regard and credibility than positively disclosing interviewers. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disclosure flexibility and social-situational perceptions.

Reactions of 20 male and 20 female undergraduates, classified as either high or low in self-disclosure flexibility (Self-Disclosure Situations Survey), to high and low behavioral samples of self-disclosure to a stranger were examined along 4 dimensions: likable–not likable, emotionally unstable–emotionally stable, exciting–dull, and weak personality–strong personality. The high-disclosure-flexibility group was significantly more critical, as predicted, of high disclosure to a stranger than the low-flexibility group on 2 of the dimensions. It is suggested that self-disclosure flexibility reflects perceptual awareness of social-situational norms governing the appropriateness of self-disclosing behavior and that it is an important factor in self-disclosure's relationship to mental health. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reassessment of self-disclosure patterns among Anglo-Americans and Hispanics.

Analyzed the Self-Disclosure Questionnaire responses of 155 Anglo-American and 119 Hispanic undergraduates according to overall frequency of reported self-disclosure, preferred topics (whether about taste, attitude, body, personality, or money) and preferred targets (whether to mother, father, male friend, female friend, or spouse). Examiner ethnicity and gender were systematically varied so that the interaction with S gender and ethnicity could be determined. Results reveal that females reported significantly more disclosure than males. Anglo-Americans indicated more disclosure than Hispanics, and disclosure among Hispanic males was particularly low. However, Hispanics reported high self-disclosure under some conditions. Specifically, Hispanic females reported high self-disclosure to female administrators, and Hispanic males reported significantly high self-disclosure with Hispanic female administrators. Ethnicity was not a significant factor in determining preferred topic and target of self-disclosure. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religiousness, Spirituality, and Psychosocial Functioning in Late Adulthood: Findings From a Longitudinal Study.

This study used longitudinal data to examine the relations among religiousness, spirituality, and 3 key domains of psychosocial functioning in late adulthood: (a) sources of well-being, (b) involvement in tasks of everyday life, and (c) generativity and wisdom. Religiousness and spirituality were operationalized as distinct but overlapping dimensions of individual difference. In late adulthood, religiousness was positively related to well-being from positive relations with others, involvement in social and community life tasks, and generativity. Spirituality was positively related to well-being from personal growth, involvement in creative and knowledge-building life tasks, and wisdom. Neither religiousness nor spirituality was associated with narcissism. The relations between religiousness, spirituality, and outcomes in late adulthood were also observed using religiousness scored in early and spirituality scored in late middle adulthood. All analyses were controlled for gender, cohort, social class, and the overlap between religiousness and spirituality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)